Other side of the coin
by odstpilot
Summary: Mihaly's adventures during the war
1. Chapter 1

Ch 1

Mihlay looked ahead and saw the Osean pilots struggle against the drones that the arsenal bird crapped out. His eyes caught two planes breaking away from the main fight. Yawing to meet them, he noticed one of the Hornets was damaged, leaking smoke.

"Perfect." He said.

The lead fighter moved to engage, firing a missile. Dropping flares, he returned fire with his guns and forced his enemy to break away.

He chased his enemy and locked on, firing a missile when the opportunity presented itself. The dogfight lasted less than he wanted. It seemed Osea wasn't bringing their best. He focused on the wounded prey, and hounded the unlucky sap.

Instead of killing the pilot, he wanted to see what the prey was capable of. The hornet quickly pulled up, attempting to dogfight him. While Mihaly could respect his enemy's will to fight, he also knew that this pilot was already dead; just didn't know it.

He trailed the enemy, and matched her move for move.

"I'm scared!" his enemy exclaimed, fear evident n her voice.

Arming his missiles, he locked on and waited for the perfect shot. He watched as his prey attempted to run; jinking, yawing, using every trick in the book to try to escape.

"Mage 2, support! Somebody, support!" she screamed, just as Mihlay fired a missile up her tail pipe, killing her.

"Bandit down." He said.

Pointing his nose away, he accelerated away from the fight.

EASA

68 experimental fighter squadron

Landing the jet, he stumbled out of the cockpit clutching his chest in pain. Alma and Ionela helped him sit in a chair, and gave him an oxygen mask. Clutching the mask, he breathed in and out and lay back in the chair.

"Grandpa, are you okay?" Ionela asked.

"I'm fine." He hoarsely replied.

Waiting 5 minutes, he stood up and headed to the hanger where doctor Schroeder was waiting for him.

"A successful flight?" the scientist asked.

"Yes. I bagged two kills. One was a stubborn pilot. Pity she went down so easy." The ace laconically said.

"What do you mean?" Schroeder asked.

"Her plane was damaged. If it wasn't, she could have lasted longer." Mihaly said, mentally going thru the fight and how things could have gone different.

Mihaly headed to his plane looked it over for and damage it may have received. The doctor shook his head back and forth. Mihlay could be so stubborn, and he had grit.

Ionela looked at the doctor with suspicion. She knew about her grandpa's past and how he was a test pilot for the air-force. She always wondered how it would be, flying in the skies.

"Grandpa, I have a question." Ionela said.

"Shoot." Mihaly said from under the plane as he was tightening a bolt. She lay on her back and scooted next to her grandpa seeing the underbelly of the fighter, along with it's missiles. She lay in awe of the massive plane, and the fact that her grandfather flew this plane like it was nothing seared his skills in her head.

"Can you take me for a ride?" She asked.

"Sure thing." He said, reaching for another tool.

"In your plane. If you'll get in trouble, then no."

Mihaly put the tool down and smiled at Ionela.

"Sure thing." He said.

That night, Mihaly was with his squadron, going over the recent engagements they all took part in during the current war.

"Took out three in one pass. Oseans didn't know what hit them." Sol 2 said.

"Osea doesn't seem to have many good pilots left. They must have all been killed during the war with Yuktobania and Belka." Sol 4 said.

"You're wrong. Osea has many pilots. More pilots than we can field. Hence the fucking drones." Mihaly said, putting down his drink and slammed it onto the table when he mentioned the drones.

They talked about the drones when Mihaly asked a question.

"Yet what is a nation? Can we actually see the physical lines that divide one from another?"

Silence filled the room, and Sol 2 responded, disheartened at situation they were in.

"People can no longer speak the language of our homeland. My grandparents always look sad when see I have no idea what they're saying to me."

Mihaly didn't say anything until later. The squadron waited until no-one was around. Even Alma and Ionela had to leave before the squadron could talk.

"Erusea will lose this war. It's only a matter of time until it happens. We have a limited window of opportunity. We must move quickly and decisively to secure the future of our homelands. For the moment, we wait." The old pilot said; his squadron nodded in agreement

A week later, and Mihaly was walking towards his fighter, his granddaughters next to the jet. He climbed up the ladder and opened the rear canopy. The girls climbed into the cockpit and put on the straps as best as they could.

Giving the girls one more look, he closed the canopy and started the engines. He rolled out the hanger and yawed towards the tarmac.

"Control, this is So 1 requesting take off."

"Take off granted, Sol 1."

Grinning, he accelerated down the tarmac and lifted into the air, the skies about to greet him…

"Sol 1, Erusea 1 is heading towards the tarmac opposite of your position. Abort now!"

Mihaly growled in anger, knowing that he passed the point of no return. He was forced to retract the landing gear and pushed the throttle forward and kept the attitude just above the ground. He kept an eye on the incoming transport plane, counting until they intercepted.

The girls could only scream in horror as their death was imminent, yet Mihaly stayed cool. With a sonic boom accompanying him, they passed the transport and pointed up towards the sky.

"Grandpa, that was close!" Alma exclaimed.

The Col. had something else in mind. He angrily called the tower, wondering why the incoming transport wasn't waved off.

"Prncess Cossette is onboard." The tower responded.

Mihaly shut off the radio and calmed his nerves. He couldn't afford to be lose his nerves, even if he felt justified in doing so. Already in the air, he decided to perform several acrobatics to give his daughters a taste of what he was capable of.

"This is what your job is?" Alma asked, as she was thrown around in the cockpit, her stomach doing summersaults.

"Grandpa was a test pilot." Ionela said.

"Correct. I tested every plane EASA could make. I remember many of those flights…" Mihaly said, absently looking at the sky.

On the ground, Cossette looked above and saw the lone fighter performing several acrobatic stunts.

"Excuse me, but who's up there?" She asked.

"Col. Shilage and his two granddaughters." A mechanic informed


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2

Cossette watched as the lone fighter landed and headed towards her, as if the pilot wanted to run her over. The plane stopped and the occupants came out. She smiled upon seeing her fellow students, Alma and Ionela Shilage.

"Madam princess." Mihaly said, saluting his Commander in chief.

"No need to be so formal." She said.

She smiled and motioned for the girls to approach her. The trio began to sing an old Erusean song in the native Erusean language.

Mihaly's face showed no emotion, yet he was happy for his granddaughters. They clearly adored the princess and looked up to her. Schroeder looked at the scene, and realized that he still didn't know Mihaly. His nation was completely conquered by Erusea, yet he didn't seem to care at all.

"What do you care about, other than your granddaughters and squadron, you old terminator?" The Dr said to himself.

"Erusea's area 51, Kapustin Yar, and Edwards AFB rolled into one." Cossette said; she was given a tour of the facility and made references to the top secret air bases that Osea and Yuktobania had.

"Isn't much to look at. This base was used as a test site for EASA. Now it's home to the elite Sol squadron." Schroeder said, as they approached Mihaly's fighter jet. Her eyes were drawn to the electronics device that occupied the second seat. She could only imagine how difficult it must be to fly a plane that required two pilots.

Entering her office, she noticed how Spartan it was compared to her room at Farbanti. It cemented the alien situation she was in. She put the dress away and swapped it for a t-shirt and some pants, and opened the door when Ionela and Alma came in.

"Princess, me and Alma were going to practice some gymnastics. Want to watch?" Ionela asks.

"Sure. I'd love to watch." Rosa said.

Outside, Rosa and Mihaly watched as the two girls moved and contorted their bodies, Ionela being the better gymnast. Mihaly quickly pulled out some sticky notes and furiously scrubbed on them. Rosa looked over and saw some words with arrows on the paper, and realized he was writing air combat maneuvers.

She also noted he was wearing a shirt that said 'I have beautiful granddaughters. I also have a gun, a fighter jet, a shovel, and an alibi.'

"You two are very good. How long have you trained?" Rosa asked.

"Several years. I was watching the Yuktobanian gymnastics and decided I want to try it." Ionela said.

Mihaly turned around and headed to a hanger that housed an Su-37. He climbed into the plane and rolled down the dirt tarmac and into the clear skies.

"What's grandpa doing?" Alma asked.

"He's going to perform his gymnastics routine." Rosa answered.

The three watched as he performed acrobatics that defied the laws of physics, pushing the plane's envelope. Even though the 'Terminator' was near the end of its life span, Mihaly showed why it's still to be feared and respected.

"In Yuktobania, the laws of physics obey you." Rosa sarcastically said.

"There's no way a plane can fly like that." Ionela said.

"Ionela, you just did an oversplit. Most humans can't bend their legs like that."

They watched as the jet headed towards them and pitched straight up and the rotated ninety degrees as if it was tethered to the ground via the nose. The jet continued to perform several aerial cartwheels, as if it were an alien ship instead of a normal plane that was bound by the laws of physics.

Mihaly straighten out his routine and was about to give another display when the fuel alarm went off. Annoyed that he didn't fill up on fuel, he proceeded to land his bird. Parking next to the other planes, he stepped down from the cockpit and was approached by his ecstatic granddaughters.

"That was amazing! How can you do all that?" Alma asked.

"Years of practice and experience. Also a jet that is built for such a thing. The Yukes sure know their stuff." Mihaly answered.

"You performed cartwheels in mid-air. How's that possible?" Ionela asked.

"3-d thrust vector engines. With those, you have access to maneuvers and stunts like none other. But acrobatic flashy stunts do not help in air combat. I remember when I first flew for the Erusean air force. There was this guy, a Mr. Bandini. Cocky bastard. He was an aerobatics pilot. Skilled and had potential, but way in over his head." Mihaly said as they headed inside to eat.

"I take this story doesn't have a happy ending." Rosa said.

"Right on that. He barely survived his first sortie. A Phantom jumped him and almost killed him. And this driver was good. Very good. He knew his plane inside and out, and seemed to anticipate every move Bandini did. Of course, the fucker couldn't believe that someone could be as skilled as him, and fly an F-4 as good as he enemy did. I had to save his sorry ass." Mihaly said, eating a sandwich.

"And next?" Alma asked.

"A few battles past, and the guy just wouldn't shut up about his supposed skills. J had enough and challenge him to a duel. He was flying an F-16, and I chose an F-4."

"Colonel, I have to interrupt but we hardly have any knowledge of the planes you're talking about. Could you enlighten us?" Rosa asked.

"The F-16 is a small and highly maneuverable fighter, though not in the league of the Yuke flankers. The F-4 is a flying brick. That's one of its nicknames. So we had our duel. And I kicked his ass from one end of the base to the other. He was humbled at that point. Or so we thought." The Ace answered.

"Let m guess. He wasn't." Alma said.

"Bingo. We were jumped by enemy planes, and I gave the order to retreat. The enemy had the initiative, and we were loosing planes left and right. Bandini was jumped, and the only way to escape was to outmaneuver his enemy. He was killed before he could blink. All that aerobatic flying doesn't prepare you for real combat, especially when it's up and close." Mihaly said, starting at his coffee.

"You must have seen a lot." Rosa said.

"Three wars, including this one." He gruffly replied


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3

Mihaly and his two wingman looked at the satellite info coming in, knowing that the flight of Osean aircraft were heading home from their recon flight.

"Any idea what they saw?" Wit asked.

"No idea. There's nothing of importance this far in. But we have to stop them. Wheels up in 30." Mihaly answered.

The three pilots headed to their planes, and were heading to Yinshi Valley.

…

Mihaly tailed the enemy MiG-29, wanting to know what his enemy was capable of. He was also mindful of the strong winds that threatened to smash him against the canyon walls, as his aim was thrown off. The enemy performed a Cobra, an impressive stunt.

Mihaly let his enemy tail him, his radar warning him of a missile lock. He then pulled the stick into his gut and performed a Kulbit and watched as the enemy appeared into his view. He fired a missile and outright destroyed the MiG in one move.

"You could have done that sooner." Wit reminded.

"I want to understand the enemy." Mihaly said, in a bored tone. He had already been in many engagements with the Oseans, and he was disappointed with the current crop of Osean pilots.

Mihaly fired another missile and shot down one of the recon planes and saw another enemy head towards him, guns blazing.

"Sol 2, Sol 3. Get the rear-guard. The better one is mine." Mihaly ordered, as he and his new enemy fired there guns and missiles at each other. He saw his enemy was flying an F-4. His words came back to haunt him.

'This driver was good. Very good. Knew his plane inside and out.'

"Copy that king." Sol 2 replied.

"Don't call me that." Mihaly growled.

The Phantom fired it's missiles, and Mihaly dropped flares to stop them.

"Sol 1, what's your status?" Wit asked.

"My status? Well, I'm feeling a little excited." Mihaly grinned. He was having to much fun to worry about anything else at the moment. He dove into the tight canyon, feeling the winds toss him about.

He struggled for breath, and his aircraft computer, tied into his new g-suit, was warning him. As if he didn't already know.

"Sol 2, moving to assist."

"Do your jobs and I'll do mine." Mihaly ordered.

The fight went into the clouds above the canyon and Mihaly fired two missiles, but failed to hit.

"Missile didn't connect. That wasn't the plan." He muttered and fired a third missile.

"Missile hit." He said.

"Is he down?" Sol 2 asked.

"He took it in a non-critical area. I'll show you when I get back." Mihaly said as the fight continued. He saw the three lines on the plane, and wondered what they meant.

Once again, the two came close and fired at each other. Mihaly quickly knew his enemy was well experienced in close range combat. But he couldn't hold out forever. He ignored the escalating warnings his suit put out, and focused on the fight, gritting his teeth in the process.

"Clever flying." He said, praising his enemy as he stayed with Mihaly the entire time, even flying an obsolete plane. He saw a missile heading towards him, and he rolled and let the missile hit him, doing the same move his enemy just did.

While keeping his eyes on the new foe, a lightning bolt struck his plane and shortened out his electronics for a few seconds. He continued the fight, firing guns at his enemy and scored a few hits.

"Sol 1, storm is getting worse. We should head back." Sol 2 advised.

Mihaly listened to his wingman and fled the scene. He calmed his breathing and reflected on the fight, like he did with all other fights. His enemy was cunning and smart, and pushed his plane to the edge.

"Looking forward to our next meeting, pilot with the three strikes." Mihaly said.

…

Upon landing, Mihaly knew he was in bad shape. His hands were shaking, and he could hardly breathe. He pushed the canopy opened and all but fell out of the cockpit. He saw the princess and his squadron help stand him up on their shoulders, and as much as he wanted to protest, he was in no position to do so.

"Col, what happened?" Rosa asked.

When he was sat down, he spoke with a grin on his face.

"I went up against an enemy. He was tough and skilled. He flew like none other. I found someone who's my equal. All in a days work." He said.

Rosa looked at his squad mates, and they were just as confused as she was. Mihaly wanted to show his squadron the maneuvers he and his enemy did, but everyone convinced him to wait a few days until he got better.

That night, he was talking to his squadron, granddaughters, and Rosa about previous missions.

"In '79, I was flying F-4s against the Communists of northern Usea. Some back ground info first. Erusea first acquired F-4 Phantoms and F-104 Starfighters from Osea. The Phantom didn't have a gun, so it wasn't as good as the Yuke MiGs were in dogfighting. The starfighter was worse. It was useless in dogfights, even worse than the Phantom was. And it had a gun! Great logistics, assholes. The fighter that can hold its own in a dogfight doesn't have a gun. And the flying coffin does have a gun." Mihaly ranted.

"Didn't we give all those planes back to Osea?" Rosa asked.

"We did. We gave them back to Osea and bought planes from Belka and Yuktobania. You can only imagine how pissed Osea was. They just can't help but give themselves fellatio." Mihaly darkly joked.

"Colonel!" Rosa exclaimed.

"Relax, Princess. My granddaughters are living at an air-force base. They've heard their fair share of dirty jokes." Mihaly said.

"The Belkans and Yukes were more pragmatic than the Oseans. Their planes were purpose built for combat. The Belkans quit using the Starfighter early on after many accidents. They also put guns on their own Phantoms. And the Yukes built MiG 21s and 23s by the hundreds, until the Fulcrum and Flankers replaced them." Mihaly said.

"So tell us about your mission." Semour said.

"I was up against the Communists, against Phantoms of all planes. But these Phantoms didn't have guns. Ours did. The fight turned into a slaughter. We closed in and shredded them. They couldn't use their missiles at close range, but we could fire our guns from sun up, to sun down. And the missiles were complete crap." Mihaly continued.

"Sounds like fun." Rosa absently said.

"There were fun memories. But also bad." Mihaly answered, a tired look in his eyes. Mihaly didn't look like the hard and invincible ace he is, but a tired old man who had seen too much blood in his life time.

…

Night came, and everyone was asleep except Rosa. She looked at the many fighter jets that dotted the ground, near the hangers. It now dawned on her, that war was no laughing matter. In Farbanti, she could make all the speeches about how Erusea had to fight against an imperialistic Osea.

But now she was here, living with some of the many soldiers who put their lives on the line. These were people, loyal citizens who loved their country. What right did she have to tell them to go and fight, if the current war was without just cause?

"Dad, I could use your help right now." She said.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4

Mihaly was in another dogfight, against an Osean Typhoon. He fired his guns and destroyed the plane with ease.

"Good kill, sir." Sol 3 said.

Mihaly paid no attention and continued the fight. He then went after the Osean B-2 stealth bombers and shot them down with his squadron.

"Mission complete. RTB." Mihaly said.

…

Rosa saw the 5-plane formation of Sol squadron return, another mission completed.

"Will you talk to him?" Ionela asked.

"I will. But i think he's already made up his mind." Rosa said, much to Ionela's annoyance.

She approached the older pilot as he climbed out of his jet, helmet in his hand. She noticed that he looked like a dangerous lone wolf. She was sure he could kill someone with a single punch if the situation called for it.

"Afternoon, princess." He said, saluting her.

"At ease, Col. I take it the mission went well." Rosa said, walking with him.

"It did. The Oseans are still coming. Can't say i blame them. Tough bastards." he said, the last part to himself. Rosa noticed, and continued with the small talk.

"Waiting to duel this new pilot?" Rosa asked.

"You bet. Can't wait to see who prevails. If it's me, so be it. And if it's him, than so be it." Mihaly said so calmly, it sent chills down Rosa's spine.

"And what happens if he wins? If you die?" Rosa asked.

"Then that's it. Princess, i know full well what i'm doing. I've already fought in two wars in the past." He said.

"What about your granddaughters? What'll happen if you get killed?" Rosa asked.

Mihaly pulled Rosa aside into her office and locked the door.

"I've already made plans incase that happens. They have relatives in Osea. They can live there if something happens to me." He said.

Rosa gripped her forehead, exasperated. It seemed that Mihaly didn't even care about anything except flying in the skies.

"Col, how can you be so selfish?" Rosa asked.

"It seems you're the selfish one, Princess. We need every soldier we can get. Even the drones won't be enough to stop Osea. Yes, i could be killed tomorrow, the next week, or even the next month. But will you give up then? If my granddaughters can live in safety for one more day, then my sacrifice is well worth it." Mihaly left the room, leaving Rosa to her thoughts.

Rosa sat down and looked over the latest reports coming from her advisors. It was mostly good news. The war was going in their favor. But Rosa couldn't help but worry about Mihaly's granddaughters. As head of state, and their friend, she had to tell them about his death if it happened. How could she look them in the eyes and tell them their grandfather died fighting against his enemies?

Yet Mihaly was right about one thing. It was selfish for her to ask him to retire, when they needed every soldier they could get. They simply didn't have the amount of soldiers that Osea did. And who was this pilot that got Mihaly all worked up?

"Three strikes. What does it mean?" she wondered aloud.

…

A week passed, and Rosa was waking up to the sweet sound of gunfire. Thinking it was some soldiers practicing their shooting skills, she headed outside and saw Mihaly teaching his daughters how to shoot.

"Morning, Col." she said.

"Morning, Princess." Mihaly said, watching as they sent bullets downrange. Mihaly grabbed a nearby rifle and fired at the targets, scoring hits on the x-rings.

"Good shot. Mind if i try?" Rosa asked.

"Sure thing." she said, and took the rifle Mihaly offered.

Looking down the scope, she fired several shots cycling the bolt after each shot. The two adults watched as Alma and Ionela then practiced using pistols; it was clear they needed to practice more on the pistols then the rifles.

"Not bad. Is this a family bonding thing?" Rosa asked.

"That, and i want them to be prepared. We're 200 miles away from the capital. As you know, the Oseans bombed the hell out of it at the start of the war. Hopefully we won't have to use these guns." Mihaly said.

A small drone flew over their heads, and Mihaly went thru the large duffel bag that had all the ammo they needed. He grabbed several shotgun shells marked flame, and loaded them into shotgun. Racking the pump, he aimed at the drone and waited for it to approach.

"Col, if you're going to fire, i suggest you wait until it comes" Rosa started when Mihaly fired at the drone. Three rounds were fired, and flames appeared from the shotgun and seemed to engulf the drone in a fiery inferno. He turned on the heels of his feet, still aiming the shotgun at the burning drone.

"It looks like you were firebending." Alma said.

"Yeah. And in the air, my squadron says I'm an airbender. They mentioned someone called Zaheer and his skills in flight. Interesting character. Not sure i'd fully go with his plan of anarchy. But him killing the earth queen was impressive. I had to watch the seen many times to fully understand it. The creators pulled no punches in showing how gruesome that death is. Breathtaking is an understatement." Mihaly said, and noticed the dropped jaws of the three woman next to him.

"You've watched legend of korra?" Ionela asked.

"Yep. One of my pilot's sons introduced it to me. Good show. Su Beifong i'd shoot in a heartbeat. Korra is the worst avatar. She always goes about blabbering about how she's the avatar, and gets her ass kicked because of it." Mihaly said.

"Yeah. the last airbender, the show, not the movie, was very good. Quite mature for being a so-called kids show. The Dai li are stuff made of nightmares." Rosa said.

"That face-stealing spirit. That is something from a nightmare." Alma said.

Night came, and Rosa entered the hanger, seeing Mihaly's Su-30. Opening the canopy, she sat in the cockpit and looked at the HUD.

"So this is what you experience." she muttered, putting a hand on the throttle and another on the control stick. She manipulated the controls, hearing the ailerons move in different directions. She imagined herself flying the supermaneuverable fighter, the skies beneath her.

"Col, you must see some impressive sights. It must be peaceful up there. Away from the chaos of the ground." she mused.

Next morning came, and she approached Mihaly.

"Col, i have a favor to ask of you. Can you take me up for a ride in your plane?" she asked.

"Later. I'm going on a patrol. We might encounter enemy planes." he answered.

"Three strikes?" she asked.

"One can only hope." he said, as he headed to his fighter.

She watched as the squadron ascended into the air, towards their destination. Turning around, she saw an angry Ionela walk away.

"Ionela, what's wrong?" Rosa asked.

"My grandfather is obsessed with flying. Not that i mind it, i just wish it were under different circumstances. And that doctor creep is helping him. No, he's torturing him. He always says 'don't worry Colonel. It'll be different. This flight suit will protect you. And he always comes back in bad shape." Ionela said.

"Ionela, your grandfather does care. A week ago, he told me that he was fighting to make sure you and Alma are kept safe, out of harms way. He knows things that he can't tell you." Rosa said.

"Why doesn't he tell us?" Ionela asked.

Oh. should he tell you that he thinks we could lose the war? That he already arranged to have you two sent away from the country in case he dies?


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 5

Mihaly tossed and turned in his sleep. He woke up, sweat pouring down his face. He headed to the bathroom and washed up, seeing his scarred face. The face that saw too much death and blood in his lifetime.

"Not now. Not during this war." he muttered.

"You okay, grandpa?" Alma asked.

"Just a little nightmare. It's nothing." he said to his granddaughter. He didn't want anyone to know he was suffering from some post-traumatic.

Next morning came, and he was busy with his squadron getting ready for another sortie when Rosa came in.

"Mission's canceled." She said.

"What are you talking about?" Wit asked.

"You've been fighting non-stop the entire war. You need a break. Consider it an order from your commander in chief." Rosa said.

"Now that we have time off, it's time i show you guys what i told you back at the valley." Mihaly said.

Sol squadron ascended into the air, armed with different missiles than usual. The explosives were removed and replaced with a paintball round.

"Playing paintball while in fighter jets. Seems legit." Rosa sarcastically said.

Sol 2 dueled with his superior, trying to get into a perfect firing position, yet constantly failed to. But Mihaly was counting on that. He sent a morse code for Sol 4 to fire a missile at him, and watched as the missile came closer to him.

Everyone watched as the ace pulled his plane upright at a sharp angle. The missile failed to track and detonated near him, giving his wing a large pink color.

"Damn, Sol 1. That's good maneuvering. If that were a real missile, you'd still be flying." Sol 3 said.

"I'm betting the hole is bigger than the government's defense plan." Mihaly said.

"I'm right here, you asshole." Rosa said thru the comms, only to hear Mihaly chuckle in response.

"I swear. It seems I'm the grown-up, and you boys are kids playing around with state of the art fighter jets." she said, watching as the 5 aircraft continued their dogfight against each other.

The next few hours were spent with the squadron attempting to master the maneuvers required to absorb damage from a missile strike. It was going well for the most part. Mihaly then ordered his squadron to retire to base yet stayed in the air longer.

"Damn it." he muttered to himself, seeing his hands shake. They were shaking so softly, one would miss it unless they were paying close attention. Clenching his fists, he performed several acrobatics to keep his mind busy. He couldn't let his nightmares infect his mind, nor compromise his combat performance.

'Boss, you're on his six. Take him down!'

Mihaly found himself sitting in the cockpit of an old F-16, tailing a MiG-23 thru a canyon. He fired, only to see the bullets fly under the MiG and into the canyon floor. Cursing, he waited until the opportunity presented itself.

The fighter lifted up to escape, and Mihaly pounced like a hungry animal on a steak. He fired his gun for what seemed to be forever. The engine burst into flames, and the MiG tilted to the left.

'Don't do it!' he shouted. The enemy pilot ejected, right into the mountain next to them.

He woke up, his eyes scanning the room for any threats. With none available, he put his head on the pillow and entered a dreamless sleep.

'I'm sorry, Jess. You weren't lucky today.'

The sound of gunfire was heard, as Mihaly sat in the cockpit of his SU-30 firing at targets set away away from the tarmac.

"We got the nose gun adjusted. You also wanted gun-pods, correct?" a mechanic asked.

"Correct. Put them on the innermost wing pylons. I want the most accurate fire as possible." Mihaly said, a stern look on his face.

The tests continued for the rest of the day, and Mihaly was about to go on a night patrol when Rosa interrupted him.

"Mind if i join?" she asked.

"Suit up. Meet me at hanger 5." he said.

The duo headed to the fighter, heads turning as those visible saw Rosa dressed in a flight suit, heading to take flight with the feared mister x.

Rosa was elated as they lifted into the air, as fast as a rocket straight up. The clouds seemed to pass quicker than she could blink. Her stomach went into a summersault as he inverted the plane and rolled them to be upright.

"What a view. Never thought i'd look at the sky and sunset like this." She said.

"It is wonderful. Peaceful up here." Mihaly said.

"Fighting for peace." Rosa said, almost dreamlike.

Mihaly flipped open the visor and looked at Rosa. He almost felt sorry for her. She was sheltered for most of her life, while he was busy fighting wars for one regime or another.

The radar chirped, and he saw a lone contact on the screen.

"Got a contact. Probably two are flying close to merge the id." Mihaly said.

"You know this?" Rosa asked, wondering how he could determine that just from looking at the radar screen.

"Know it? I flew on both sides of the coin. It's a simple tactic. Simple in theory, harder to pull in real life. Requires precise flying from both pilots. Drones on the other hand…" he muttered, focusing on the task at hand.

Mihaly was proven right, as two F-14s approached him. The combatants merged and and began the fight. One of the tomcats attempted a turning fight against Mihaly, but the pilot sorely underestimated his enemy. Mihaly wasted no time in lining up a shot and pulled the trigger. Red hot 30mm and 20mm slugs tore into the Tomcat, destroying it with no effort.

"Next one." he muttered, looking around for the lone enemy. His radar chirped, and two missiles straddled his position, flying towards the ground.

"Damn it." he muttered, and pulled up in a wide circle.

"Why don't you go head on?" Rosa asked, struggling against the crushing g-forces.

Mihaly didn't respond, but let his flying be the answer. Thanks to flying in the wide circle, he now had command of the skies and looked at his desperate enemy who knew how fucked they were.

He dove down and acquired a missile lock.

"Fox 3." he said, pulling the trigger. His enemy didn't stand a chance as the warhead bore into the left engine and blew up, sending the remains of the plane back to earth.

"I can see why they call you king." Rosa complimented.

Mihaly didn't respond, but looked at his now shaking hands.


End file.
